Inverter and HSL Blend Modes in Photoshop Elements 10

The Difference and Exclusion blend modes in Photoshop Elements 10 invert colors, and the HSL (hue, saturation, lightness) blend modes mix colors based on the actual hue, richness, and brightness of color.

The inverter blend modes invert your colors and tend to produce some radical effects, as shown.

Difference: Produces a negative effect according to the brightness values on the top layers. If the pixels on the top layer are black, no change occurs in the underlying layers. If the pixels on the top layer are white, the mode inverts the colors of the underlying layers.

Exclusion: Like Difference, but with less contrast and saturation. If the pixels on the top layer are black, no change occurs in the underlying layers. If the pixels on the top layer are white, this mode inverts the colors of the underlying layers. Medium colors blend to create shades of gray.

Hue: Blends the luminance (brightness) and saturation (intensity of the color) of the underlying layers with the hue (color) of the top layer.

Saturation: Blends the luminance and hue of the underlying layers with the saturation of the top layer.

Color: Blends the luminance of the underlying layers with the saturation and hue of the top layer. This mode enables you to paint color while preserving the shadows, highlights, and details of the underlying layers.

Luminosity: The opposite of Color, this mode blends the hue and saturation of the underlying layers with the luminance of the top layer. This mode also preserves the shadows, highlights, and details from the top layer and mixes them with the colors of the underlying layers.